1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image filing apparatus wherein image signals, which represent images, and subsidiary information belonging to each of the images are stored on an optical disk, an image signal retrieving data base is constructed from the subsidiary information such that an image signal corresponding to the subsidiary information may be retrieved, and the image signal retrieving data base is used during the retrieval of the image signals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Image filing apparatuses for filing image signals, which represent images, have heretofore been used in various fields. For example, at medical facilities, such as hospitals, many kinds of medical images are utilized for medical treatment or research. Most of the medical images are radiation images. In recent years, many computed tomography (CT) images, magnetic resonance (MR) images, and the like, are also utilized.
The medical images should be stored to permit investigation of changes in diseases or injuries of patients, and it is legally stipulated that the medical images must be stored for a predetermined period. Therefore, in hospitals, or the like, the number of stored medical images increases daily. The medical images have heretofore been stored in the form of hard copies. However, storage as hard copies requires a large storage space and burdensome operations for control and retrieval of the medical images in hospitals, or the like.
Accordingly, in recent years, an image filing apparatus has been proposed in which images, such as medical images, are retrievably stored (i.e. filed) as image signals on a storage medium. In cases where the medical images are filed in this manner on the storage medium, the space requirement and the burden of image storage can be reduced, and the images can be retrieved easily and quickly.
In the image filing apparatus for filing the image signals in the manner described above, a data base is constructed from subsidiary information corresponding to each of the image signals and is used during the retrieval of the image signals.
The amount of the image signals representing each medical image is very large, and therefore an optical disk, which has a very large storage capacity, is generally used as the storage medium for storing the image signals. On the other hand, as the storage medium for storing an image signal retrieving data base, a storage means, such as a magnetic disk, may be utilized. Though the storage capacity of the storage means, such as a magnetic disk, is small, information can be rewritten on the storage means and can be quickly retrieved therefrom.
Ordinarily, when an image signal is stored on an optical disk, subsidiary information corresponding to the image signal is automatically added to the image signal retrieving data base, which has already been stored on a storage means. By using the data base, the image signal can be retrieved.
However, it often occurs that a test image signal other than image signals, which are to be filed during normal filing operations of an image filing apparatus, is tentatively stored on an optical disk during, for example, test runs or maintenance of the image filing apparatus. Also, it often occurs that, in cases where several persons use a single image filing apparatus, one of the persons stores an image signal for his researches, or the like, other than image signals, which are to be filed during normal filing operations of the image filing apparatus, on his optical disk.
In cases where an image signal for tests, researches, or the like is stored on an optical disk, if subsidiary information corresponding to the image signal is automatically added to a data base, the resulting data base will include the unnecessary information. Therefore, problems occur in that part of the memory, which stores the data base, is occupied by the unnecessary information. Also, a long time is taken for image retrieval to be carried out.
In order for the aforesaid problems to be eliminated, when an image signal is stored on an optical disk, an instruction designating whether a data base is to be or is not to be constructed for the image signal may be entered from, for example, a keyboard. However, in cases where it is set manually whether a data base is to be or is not to be constructed for an image signal, the problems described below occur. Specifically, when an image signal, for which a data base is to be constructed, is stored on an optical disk, an instruction designating the construction of a data base is not entered by mistake. Also, manual operations for entering such instructions are troublesome.